Terminal bank.



H. P. CLAUSEN.

TERMINAL BANK.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 23. 1915.

Patented May 22,1917.

In ve nlor: Henry Clause/'1.

' Affjy.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY P. CLAUSEN, 0F MOUNT VERNON, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO WESTERN ELECTRIC COMPANY, INCORPORATED, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

TERMINAL BANK.

Application filed December 28, 1915.

tain new and useful Improvements in Termin-a1 Banks, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description.

This invention relates to contact banks for automatic switching devices, and particularly to contact banks for switches of the panel type in which but two movable contacts or brushes are employed. A switch of this character is shown in Patent No.

1,172,585 to Henry F. Dobbin, issued Feb. 22, 1916.

The principal object of this invention is the provision of a contact bank in which the multiple contacts are formed as integral projections or teeth of a terminal strip, and in which crosstalk will be avoided without the use of metallic strips or shields between each pair of terminal strips and the next.

In contact banks of the above described character in which three contacts and con sequently three terminal strips are provided in each set, the third strip, that is, the strip provided with the test or sleeve contacts, acts as a shield to prevent crosstalk, and therefore no additional strips need be provided. A contact bank of this character is shown in patent to A. F. Dixon, No. 1,127,741. In contact banks in which but two contacts and therefore but the two talking conductor terminal strips appear in each set, crosstalk will occur unless some special means are provided to prevent it. This means may take the form of the shield strips previously mentioned, but in such a structure these shield strips would have, no additional function and could, therefore, be well avoided if other means are provided for preventing crosstalk. By the present invention, crosstalk is effectively prevented by the expedient of repeatedly crossing or transposing the two terminal strips of a pair intermediate their ends. In the embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, this transposition occurs between each pair of contacts and the next. By this means the additional shield strips are avoided and cross talk is even more effectively prevented than by their use.

Referring to the drawings: Figure 1 is a face view of a portion of a Specification of Letters Patent.

Serial No. 69,089.

contact bank embodying this invention with parts broken way, and Fig. 2 is a perspective view of two pairs or sets of terminal strips showing more clearly the manner in which they are transposed.

v The strips 1 and 1 represent one pair or Patented May 22, 1917.

set, strips 2 and 2 a second set and so on.

The strips of each pair are arranged to form a straight substantially flat unit andv the several units are superposed one on another in a manner similar to that disclosed in the above noted patent to Dixon. Refen ring now to Fig; 2, it will be noted that eachof the terminal strips, say, for instance, strip 1, is provided intermediate two adjacent contacts with' a notch or cut-away poi tion a littlegreater indepth than one-half the width of'the terminal strip, and that the strip is slightly offsetat the points of these notches, first in one direction and then in the other. The companion strip 1 is similarly notched and offset, but the offsets are reversely arranged from the manner of strip 1. Thus, it will be seen that if the notches of each strip are made to receive the integral or uncut offset portions of the companion strip at the corresponding ofl'set, I shall have an arrangement such as represented by strips 1 and 1 in Fig. 2. All this clearly appears from the drawing and need not be further described.

It will be noted that the contacts which are carried by strips 1 and 2 in each in stance appear at the left of those carried by the corresponding brushes of the several I switches will engage contacts of the same terminal strip for reasons readily understood.

If desired, contacts may be provided on both sides of the bank as clearly illustrated in Fig. 2. l/Vhen mounted in the contact bank, the terminal strips of each pair must be insulated from each other and from the strips of the adjacent pairs. This result may be accomplished by interposing sheets or strips of insulating material or fabric between the adjacent portions of the several terminal strips in a manner readily understood, or the contact strips may be arranged in their relative positions in a retaining form and the interstices therebetween filled with a molten insulating compound, which, when it hardens or solidifies, will effectively hold the strips in the desired relative relation to each other.

In the present embodiment of the invention, the projecting or terminal portions of the strips are so offset from the plane of the strips that all the contacts projecting from a pair of strips lie in substantially the same plane in order to function with a switch such as shown in the above mentioned patent to Dobbin, although obviously they can be arranged in any desired manner.

Other changes can be readily made in the specific structure herein disclosed without departing from the spirit of the invention. For instance, the terminal strips need not be transposed between each contact and the next, but instead two or more contacts may occur between each two adjacent offsets.

hat is claimed is:

1. In a contact bank, a pair of fiat terminal strips, and notches and off-sets in said strips, the offset portion of each strip being received by the notch of the companion strip.

2. In a contact bank, pairs of terminal strips, and a series of notches and offsets in each strip, the offset portions of each of said strips being received by the notches of its companion strip.

8. In a contact bank, pairs of flat terminal strips, a series of notches in each strip, offsets in said strips at the points of said notches respectively, said offsets being alternately in opposite directions and the offset portions of each of said strips being received by the notches of its companion strip.

l In a contact bank, a pair of fiat terminal strips, contacts projecting from each of said strips, said contacts being arranged in pairs, each pair comprising a contact of each strip, a series of notches in each strip, a notch being provided between each contact and the next, offsets in said strips at the points of said notches respectively, said ofisets being alternately in opposite directions and the offset portions of each of said strips being received by the corresponding notches in its companion strip.

5. In a contact bank, a pair of terminal strips, contacts projecting from each of said strips, said contacts being arranged in pairs, each pair of contacts being arranged reversely to the contacts of the adjacent pairs.

(5. In a contact bank, flat terminal strips arranged in pairs, the strips of a pair having portions laterally arranged intermediate their ends to effect a transposed relation between portions of the strips.

7. In a contact bank, flat terminal strips arranged in pairs, the strips of a pair hav ing alternately disposed laterally projecting portions intermediate their ends arranged to effect a transposed relation between portions of the strips.

8. In a contact bank, pairs of flat terminal strips, laterally offset portions in said strips, the offset portions of each strip being reversely arranged with respect to its companion strip.

9. In a contact bank, a pair of flat terminal strips, offset portions in said strips, said o-flset portions being alternately disposed in opposite lateral directions, and the offset portions of each of said strips being reversely arranged with respect to its companion strip.

10. In a contact bank, a pair of flat terminal strips, contacts projecting from each of said strips, said contacts being arranged in pairs, each member of the pair comprising a contact of each of said strips, and a series of laterally disposed offset portions in each of said strips, the offset portions of each strip being reversely arranged with respect to those of the other.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 27th day of December A. 1)., 1915.

HENRY P. CLAUSEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. 0. 

